Jolly & Jaded – DJ Krimmer

3 stars

Jolly & Jaded is a unique blend of lighthearted romcom and heavy grief trauma. DJ addresses some very sensitive topics in this one, and she does it so beautifully.

Grant and Elsie have known each other since they were kids, but they drifted apart after Elsie’s brother’s tragic death. Both feel guilty about the accident and retreat into their masks until they find each other six years later and slowly help each other heal.

The only thing that didn’t really gel with me was the romance. Grant was so drastically hot and cold that it was a little hard to follow with how short the novella is. They both seemed to go from one extreme to another without any time in between to solidly work through the emotions.  I loved them together; they made so much sense, but it was hard for me to fully commit.

Nona absolutely stole the show, though 😂 she reminded me a little of Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum series, and it was a really fun connection for me to make. When I get to be Nona’s age, I hope I have even half of the energy and spunk (NOT that kind, get your head out of the gutter) that she does!